Oats are both robust and sensitive. In spring, the crops absolutely need water to thrive. In summer, it can also tolerate drought. This is because oats concentrate on the grain: If the summer is dry, the oats do not stand so tall and put all their energy into the grain. The yield is still somewhat lower, but there are no major losses. The oats are harvested before they are too ripe, as they are then more susceptible to fungal diseases.

Oats have relatively low demands on the soil. In the case of Lothar Braun-Keller's Bäumlehof farm, maintaining soil fertility and building up humus is very important. This is because, at the top of the Swabian Alb, around 870 metres above sea level, there is only five to twenty centimetres of humus. Beneath it is loose rock or bare rock.

Our oat farmer has a seven-year crop rotation and pays close attention to what the soil and the respective crops need. To start with, for two years, clover grass with a lot of lucerne is planted on the field. In late winter, this legume mixture is worked into the soil, using a plough or cultivator. In the third year, oats are sown relatively early, usually as early as mid-March.

On particularly stony soils, the oats are given a small amount of organic fertiliser. Oats are then followed by wheat, then half spelt and half malting barley. The next crop in the rotation is triticale, a cross between male rye and female wheat, which is mainly used as valuable animal feed. The final crop in the rotation is winter barley. This ingenious crop rotation improves soil fertility, ensuring that the following crop always benefits from its predecessor.

Organic already starts with the seed variety

Lothar Braun-Keller mainly sows the organically-bred Sinaba and Kaspero varieties – both of which were bred by the Dottenfelderhof agricultural school. These plant breeders do valuable pioneering work for the entire organic farming sector. Sinaba is a sturdy white oat with a large grain and good natural resistance to blight. The yellow Kaspero oat has a smaller grain, but also demonstrates good resistance to blight, a fungal disease.

From the field to Rapunzel

When it comes to marketing his grain, Lothar Braun-Keller relies on cooperative structures. Producer organisations were established in Baden-Württemberg, including Rebio in Tübingen, in the 1990s. The Bioland trading company is the umbrella organisation.

Rebio looks after producers from Lake Constance, to the Black Forest and right up to Stuttgart. The benefit for the individual organic farmers: They do not have to worry about marketing and can be sure that their harvest will be purchased. To this end, they specify their estimated harvest quantities.

Rebio also organises the grain’s transport from the farm to the warehouse. The grain is stored at Rebio until it is taken to the mill, where it is then processed into flour or flakes. Subsequently, it is transported from the mill to Rapunzel in Legau, where, for example, oat flakes are mixed with other organic ingredients to make fine muesli, after which it is packaged.

Harmonious coexistence of all creation

Oat supplier, Lothar Braun-Keller, has been growing organic oats since 1989 – and does so with complete conviction. However, that alone is not enough for him: “Nothing is ever black or white, so organic is not always good per se and conventional farming is not necessarily bad. You have to take a very close look. And most importantly: Only together can we make a difference, to ensure we maintain a world worth living in,” he emphasises. And that's where the philosophy comes into play. “Perhaps we need to go beyond the ecological idea.

For me, it's about the harmonious coexistence of all of creation. Social and ecological peace – we can only achieve this by working together, and it is an important prerequisite for us to be able to live in peace,” muses Lothar Braun-Keller. He is firmly convinced that, in the long term, agriculture can only function in harmony with biological cycles and with respect for creation. For him, this also means farmers must stick together instead of working against each other.